Light And Shadow
by Dante de Troy
Summary: One man knows what evil lurks, and one man has the light to expose it, together they seek to solve a mystery that will shake their world... (CHAPTER 6 is up, fanboys and girls. Read and review!!!)
1. What Evil Lurks

LIGHT AND SHADOW  
  
CHAPTER I. WHAT EVIL LURKS  
  
(Disclaimer: Cranston, Lane, Scott, and their respective supporting casts are sadly, not my property. I'm creatively molesting them for my own sinister purposes.)  
  
NEW YORK CITY  
  
"Come on, ya bum!"  
  
Big Mickey Flynn shook his head angrily as he ran ahead of his partner, Joey Doyle. In the alley behind them was the bloody body of the patrolman who'd tried to slow them down. The patrolman had caught them coming out the back door of Tony's Liquor with a few bags they hadn't gone in with. Several gunshots later, here they were.  
  
"Mickey, wait up!"  
  
Mickey ducked around a corner to catch his breath, and was momentarily joined by his partner.  
  
"Why'd ya have to do that, Mickey?"  
  
"What was I supposed to do, Joe? Kindly ask him to let us go? Just forget it, Joe. It's done, now."  
  
"Mickey Flynn."  
  
Mickey and Joey spun around, looking for the source of the voice.  
  
"Who's there?!"  
  
"Mickey Flynn."  
  
"Show yerself!"  
  
"You're nothing but a thug, Mickey. Nothing but a small time piece of trash. Did you think you'd get away with it?"  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"You're going to jail, Mickey. For a very long time." The voice laughed maniacally, and lightning cracked across the sky, momentarily illuminating the alley, and Mickey's heart stopped I his chest as he saw, spread across the wall in front of him, a billowing shape.  
  
"The Shadow!" Joey shouted, as he began to run. He hadn't gotten far when an invisible arm slapped hard across his face, sending him sprawling to the ground.  
  
"What did you think was going to happen, Mickey? Did you think that you'd walk away clean?"  
  
A powerful pair of arms lifted the large man off his feet, and Mickey shivered at the voice and the feel of the breath on his face.  
  
"Did you think I wouldn't know?"  
  
Mickey was hurled across the alley and hit the brick wall with a dull thud.  
  
"No more! I'll turn myself in!"  
  
"Before I let you turn yourself in, Mickey, you're going to tell me why all of these small timers are working so hard lately. And if you don't." Mickey felt himself being lifted off the ground again.  
  
"We heard that someone was offering work, but there was a buy in, I dunno no more than that, I swear!"  
  
"You'd better not be lying to me, Mickey. If you are, I'll know. And I'll be back."  
  
Mickey dropped to the ground and grabbed up Joey as he ran off, fleeing the almost crazed laughter that echoed through the alley.  
  
******  
  
"What'd you learn, Lamont?"  
  
"Not enough, Margo."  
  
Lamont Cranston, the Shadow, tossed his overcoat across the back of the sofa and dropped into one of the easy chairs, the frustration that he felt highly evident on his face.  
  
"Some big job is going down, big enough that anyone who wants to work it has to buy a stake in it, but I knew that much before I went out tonight."  
  
"What about that policeman?"  
  
"Yes. The officer. please see to it that his family is taken care of. Offer his son a job as a clerk at my downtown office. After school, that is."  
  
"That's a wonderful thing to do, Lamont."  
  
"Not so wonderful as getting there soon enough to stop those two before they shot him."  
  
You can't be everywhere, Lamont."  
  
"But I should be. Things like this happen too often. I fear that something is happening that will be beyond my ability to handle."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Something tells me that there is more to this recent crime wave than restlessness in the criminal element. Something is driving this, and I must discover what." 


	2. In Brightest Day

LIGHT AND SHADOW  
  
CHAPTER II. IN BRIGHTEST DAY  
  
(Disclaimer: Cranston, Lane, Scott, and their respective supporting casts are sadly, not my property. I'm creatively molesting them for my own sinister purposes.)  
  
GOTHAM CITY  
  
"Did you get those updates, Allan?"  
  
"Got 'em ten minutes ago, Steve!"  
  
The newsroom at GBS was, as usual, a chaotic scene. The news was due to go on the air in less than a minute, and an alert had just come in over the wire that the night watchman at the Gotham Scientific Institute had uncovered a huge theft when he'd come in that morning. Several hundred thousand dollars worth of cutting edge equipment had been stolen from one of the research labs, a lab funded by the government so, naturally, the specific contents of the lab were being kept under wraps.  
  
"Run with it! We're trying to get more for the six o'clock."  
  
"On it!"  
  
When the broadcast had finished, Allan pulled the headset off and rushed to his desk in the newsroom.  
  
"Steve, I'm headed out for the night, have Rex cover the six, I'm going to see what I can dig up on that museum heist."  
  
Not giving his boss a chance to answer, Allan grabbed his overcoat and broke for the door. He'd called a cab before making his report, and it was waiting at the curb when he came out the front doors of the GBS building.  
  
"GSI, driver. Quick, fast, and in a hurry."  
  
"Got it, mac."  
  
Outside GSI were a swarm of reporters and policemen, the law enforcement officers doing their level best to restrain the journalists. Things only got rowdier when, from the large stainless steel doors, a cadre of smartly dressed US Military officers emerged, obviously irate.  
  
"All right, that's enough!" The crowd quieted. "Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we have a statement. Last night, at approximately 0300 hours, that's three am, for some of you, this Institute was broken into by a group of unknown assailants. We are not at liberty to reveal how they gained entrance, nor are we at liberty to reveal what was removed. We will be conducting an independent investigation, though we do expect the full cooperation of the GPD. More information will be released to you when we are able. Thank you."  
  
Allan had stayed near the rear of the pack, not wanting to get caught in the throng. It was obvious that the military was going to tell them nothing. If he was going to get to the bottom of this, it wasn't going to be as Allan Scott.  
  
THAT NIGHT  
  
Allan hung his overcoat as he walked into his apartment and over to the alcove in the wall. At a touch, it slid open to reveal the glowing emerald lamp within. Allan held his hand out, clenching his fist, and the ring on his finger became visible as he willed it so.  
  
"In brightest day. in blackest night. no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power. Green Lantern's light!" With a flash, his ring was fully charged and his changed into his red and green costume, then willed himself to flight, and leapt from the window.  
  
Minutes later he was hovering above the Gotham Science Institute, then descending to the roof.  
  
"We were wondering when you'd show up." A gruff voice came from behind the emerald avenger, and he heard the cocking of weapons.  
  
He turned around and saw the officer from the press conference standing before him, five armed soldiers behind him. He flicked his eyes to the rank insignia on the man's shoulders and addressed him.  
  
"Colonel, I don't know what you think I'm doing here, but I assure you, I intend only to help."  
  
"I'm sure you do. We just want it to be on our terms." Follow me, if you would. And don't give me any reason to distrust you."  
  
GL followed the men down long flights of stairs until it became apparent that they had descended to the Institute's sublevels.  
  
"This level is top-secret, Lantern, as is everything that you are about to see. I know that the President sanctioned your 'Justice Society', but this goes beyond even that." He opened a large set of doors and they swung open, revealing a cavernous room, at the center of which was a pedestal which had, until quite recently, held something very large. "There's a similar facility like this elsewhere doing the same research, and we believe that it may be next to be hit. That is already being taken care of. However, the contents of this lab are vital to national security and the success of our war against the Japanese. Have you ever heard of fission?"  
  
"It's a theory, isn't it? That atoms can be split, creating enormous amounts of energy. The potential for power production is immense. Or so I've read."  
  
"You're correct about that. But equally as immense is the potential for destruction, which is what this project is about. We were building a bomb, Lantern. It was in the final stages of testing, and it's been stolen. We believe that they intend to detonate it within the continental US."  
  
"Who is they?"  
  
"That's what we don't know, and we need your help to find out. We have a suspect, as he is the only man outside of the project. until now. to know of the existence of the weapon. Several years ago, he was responsible for stopping a plot to detonate a prototype in New York City. He may know something."  
  
"Who is he?"  
  
"We don't know much. What little there is about him is little more than rumor and guesswork. All we know for sure is that people are afraid of him. He calls himself the Shadow." 


	3. Face to Face

LIGHT AND SHADOW  
  
CHAPTER III. FACE TO FACE  
  
(Disclaimer: Cranston, Lane, Scott, and their respective supporting casts are sadly, not my property. I'm creatively molesting them for my own sinister purposes.)  
  
GOTHAM CITY  
  
Allan pulled his trench coat from the hook as his uniform dissolved. The Colonel (who had neglected to reveal his name) had told him that someone named Shi Wan Kahn had, several years before, attempted to detonate a prototype atomic bomb in New York City. The papers had credited a mysterious vigilante known as the Shadow. Now the Shadow was their only clue to who might possibly have stolen the new military model, destined to turn the tide of the war in the Pacific. Picking up the telephone, Allan rang for the operator.  
  
"GBS newsroom, please, operator. Steve Parsons' desk." He waited. "Steve, this is Allan. I think I might have something on that museum case. I'm going to New York to check on a lead I dug up. No, I can't tell you. No. Look, Steve, I said no. My sources are confidential. I should be back by Monday. Rex can handle my reports for a couple of days. I'll call you when I find something in New York, Steve. What? Who?"  
  
NEW YORK  
  
"What? Who?"  
  
Lamont Cranston was pacing the length of his office while, at the same time, a serenely calm Margot Lane sat on the edge of the desk, pad and pen in hand.  
  
"Allan Scott, Lamont. Look, I told you about this." Margot''s voice contained the barest hint of irritation, but also a trace of amusement. "You decided to have your foundation endow that scholarship for the arts, and GBS wanted to send someone up to do an interview."  
  
"Look. Margot. I'm extremely busy. I do not have time to deal with some. reporter from Gotham City."  
  
"No, Lamont, you look. You decided to give the endowment. If you want it to be well received, which you do. then you need to cooperate with the press."  
  
"Very well. When is the illustrious Mr. Scott arriving?"  
  
"His train arrives from Gotham at nine."  
  
"All right. We'll pick him up in the Bentley and do a nice little drive around town, take Mr. Scott to lunch, then drop him at his hotel. Is that satisfactory, Margot?"  
  
"Very good, Lamont. You can be quite the gentleman when you choose to be." She flashed him a winning smile. "Now, I'll have your suit laid out for you."  
  
"Thank you, Margot."  
  
Margot walked out of the room, again shooting him that smile, and he couldn't help but smile back. Still, he was uneasy about meeting with this Scott person. With whatever was going on with the city's criminal element, he could ill afford distraction, even of the momentary sort. Plus. Scott was from Gotham City, and his network had become renowned for its coverage of superhero activity within the city, most notably that of the city's protector, the Green Lantern. Anything relating to the vigilante piqued Lamont's interest, as he had come on the scene not too long after Lamont had returned from the east and become the Shadow. Scott's presence was a disturbing development.  
  
"For his own sake, he'd best tend to strictly business matters."  
  
LATER  
  
"Mr. Scott, I presume?"  
  
Allan was just coming off the train when he heard the voice of the striking woman before him. She was, perhaps, one of the more beautiful women he'd ever seen, even having worked closely with the unquestionably amazing women members of the Justice Society. Something had seemed slightly wrong to him, however, when he laid eyes on Margo. Something seemed to brush his mind, a feather-light touch that was there, and then gone.  
  
"Yes, I'm Allan Scott. How did you know?"  
  
She turned loose a knee-weakening smile that seemed to be all at once innocent and knowing.  
  
"I'm Margot Lane, Mr. Cranston's assistant."  
  
"That answers who you are, but not how you knew who I was."  
  
"You are an inquisitive one, aren't you, Mr. Scott?"  
  
"It pays off in my line of work."  
  
"I'll bet it does."  
  
"So, were you planning on answering my question?"  
  
"The answer is simple, really. Your GBS press pass is still clipped to the lapel of your jacket."  
  
Allan slid a hand to his lapel and, sure enough, there was his press pass. He'd been sure he felt something, though.  
  
"Now, Mr. Scott, shall we be going?"  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
She led him from the platform toward a gleaming automobile that was parked out front of the station. The door swung open and Lamont Cranston stepped out, elegantly dressed in a three piece suit and wearing a long black overcoat.  
  
"Mr. Scott. I'm Lamont Cranston."  
  
"A pleasure to meet you, sir. I must say that I'm surprised you chose to meet me at the train station, though."  
  
"One of the privileges of being a gentleman of leisure, Mr. Scott, is having the time to meet people one one's own schedule rather than waiting for them to come to you." He turned slightly and gestured to the open door of the car. "Now, if you would care to join me, we can be on our way."  
  
Lamont and Allan both inside, the Bentley pulled away from the curb and proceeded to drive slowly toward downtown Manhattan.  
  
"So, Mr. Cranston, if you'd like, we can go ahead and get started."  
  
"Certainly. What is it you'd like to know?"  
  
"Well, my editor would like a brief bio of you for the social commenter who will actually be reading this report, so I figured I'd start at the beginning. You are a New York native, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes, I am, Mr. Scott. And I wouldn't live anywhere else."  
  
"It's funny you mention that, sir. I did a bit of preliminary checking myself, before leaving Gotham this morning. It says in your press kit that you left to serve in the military during the last war, that much is common knowledge, but when I did some checking, there was a bit of a gap in your public record. There is no record of where you were for five years following the war. Is there a story to be told, there?"  
  
Lamont's face grew clouded. He'd done some checking of his own, and Allan Scott had acquired a stellar reputation for investigative reporting during his time with GBS. He was less than pleased to have that acumen turned on a less-than-savory time in his life. It would not do to have Scott digging into those years.  
  
"Listen to me very carefully, Mr. Scott. That period of my life is of no consequence. It is utterly uninteresting to you."  
  
Something was very wrong here. Allan could feel it. The mental protections his ring offered him were under severe assault. There was something in Cranston's eyes that, if it were directed at anyone but the Emerald Avenger, would be almost frightening. It was as if the socialite was attempting to burrow though his eyes straight to his brain.  
  
"Mr. Cranston. I. I'm afraid I."  
  
He was in a vulnerable position here. He couldn't openly reveal that he knew what was going on without revealing his identity. He guessed that any normal person would have succumbed to what Cranston was trying, and that's what he was supposed to be, a normal person.  
  
"I'm afraid that I lost my train of thought. What were we talking about?"  
  
A slight grin crossed Lamont's face and that clouded look vanished. Allan decided that he'd best play like the mental assault had succeeded, so he let things be for the moment.  
  
"You were just about to ask me about the endowment."  
  
"Right, the endowment, I'm sorry. I understand that it will help fund a new civic center near Times Square."  
  
"That's correct. In conjunction with several other donors, the money will be put toward the planning and construction of the Lincoln Center for the Arts. It will house a theatrical house, an opera, and lecture halls."  
  
"Quite an undertaking. Do you worry at all about critics who say that such a facility is unnecessary, in the shadow of Broadway?"  
  
"Not at all. I feel that the city can't have too many places for such things."  
  
"An admirable sentiment sir."  
  
Lamont, feeling confident again, suddenly noticed that his ring was flashing, the dim red light within demanding his attention.  
  
"Mr. Scott, I'm afraid we'll have to cut this morning short, I have another appointment. I would, however, enjoy the opportunity to speak with you further. If we could meet this evening, perhaps for dinner at my club?"  
  
"I, ah, didn't bring anything suitable, I'm afraid."  
  
"That's no trouble. Margot will have something delivered to your hotel. Where are you staying?"  
  
"The Hotel Monolith."  
  
A strange look flickered across Lamont's face, as he remembered the events of several years ago and the unpleasantness with Shi Wan Kahn.  
  
"An excellent choice, Mr. Scott. The Monolith is. legendary."  
  
"So I've heard. I understand that you have some interest in the hotel, as well."  
  
"Yes, I acquired it several years ago after the previous owner was. detained."  
  
"Interesting."  
  
"Yes, he was."  
  
The car pulled up in front of the Monolith and the chauffer opened the door for Allan and Lamont.  
  
"I look forward to this evening, Mr. Scott. Shall I have a car sent for you?  
  
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. It's the Cobalt Club, isn't it?"  
  
"That's right. Shall we say eight?"  
  
"Sounds good to me."  
  
"Eight it is, then. I'll see you this evening. Enjoy the city."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
As the car pulled away, Allan clenched his hand tightly around his briefcase. There was definitely more to Mr. Lamont Cranston than met the eye. He came off slick as oil, but there was something else, lurking just below the surface. It definitely merited investigation, but investigation of the sort that could only be done by the Green Lantern.  
  
"Well, that seemed to go well, Lamont."  
  
"So it would seem. I don't know, though. There was something about him, something just beyond my perceptions. See what you can find out about him, Margot." He knocked at the window when he saw the proper cab. "Driver, drop me here."  
  
He stepped out of the Bentley and into the cab, where Moe sat patiently in the driver's seat.  
  
"The Sanctum." 


	4. Prowlings

LIGHT AND SHADOW

CHAPTER IV. PROWLINGS

(Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Cranston, Lane, Scott, and their respective supporting casts are sadly, not my property. I'm creatively molesting them for my own sinister purposes.)

*NOTE: Come on, people! Gimme reviews! I keep posting because I have the nifty enhanced statistics thingy that tells me you're reading, but can't get any better if you don't tell me what you think! That and it feeds my ego for you to review me! Have a heart, guys!

NEW YORK CITY, NIGHTFALL

Allan concealed the power battery in wall compartment he'd hollowed out in the hotel room, then willed his uniform to himself.

"Time to see what we can dig up on the illustrious Mr. Cranston."

He opened the window and hurtled away, fast enough that no one would be able to see him leaving. He found himself soaring through the cool air of a Manhattan night. He allowed himself to momentarily revel in the sensation of flying high above the glittering lights of the Big Apple. Gotham had its share of towering skyscrapers, but New York has a vitality that the dark towers of Gotham lacked. He steered away from downtown, toward the areas of the city more populated by the wealthy. In short time, he was over Cranston's mansion. He found an open window on one of the upper stories and let himself in. Breaking and entering might be a crime, but he knew that there was definitely something about Cranston that warranted it.

He kept to the shadows, of which there seemed to be plenty, as he floated through the hallways of the mansion. A great deal of the decoration was oriental, which was a bit surprising for someone of Cranston's class. The wealthy _did_ tend to have a fascination with foreign styles, but to allow one style to so completely dominate a home was unusual at best.

Other than the décor, there was very little at the mansion to suggest that Cranston was any more than he appeared, which was a wealthy playboy with an interest in the arts. 

"Damn, and I'd thought I was on to something." He heard a cab pull up outside and saw Cranton's secretary coming toward the house. He made quickly for the window that he'd come in.

"Is everything all right, Ms. Lane?"

Margot stood just a little way off from the house; suddenly wary of the emanations she was receiving. 

"I'm not sure, Moe. There's something… powerful here."

"Powerful?"

"Stay here a minute."

She hurried quickly into the mansion and ran up the stairs, sensing that whatever it was, it was coming closer.

"Who's there?"

"What are you hiding, Ms. Lane?"

She whirled around and gasped as she saw the glowing green figure before her. The Green Lantern hovered a foot off the ground at the head of the stairs. In the darkened room, he seemd ominous and terrifying.

"Hiding?"

"Your employer, Cranston, is more than he seems. I will find out what it is."

"Lamont is hiding nothing!"

"Do not lie to me. Ms. Lane. If you don't tell me, I'll find out anyway, and the next time we meet, I will not be as friendly."

They both jolted when the lights of another car were seen through the front windows and, second later, Lamont Cranston burst through the doors.

"Margot!"

When Margot looked back again, the Green Lantern was gone, leaving no trace that he'd ever been there.

"Lamont!" She rushed down the stairs and embraced him tightly, holding on for dear life.

"Lamont, he was here!"

"Who, Margot?"

"The Green Lantern! He said you were hiding something."

"First Scott, now the Green Lantern. There is definitely something going on." He looked down at Margot, who still had him firmly in her grasp. "Margot, listen to me. I need you to find out all you can about anything out of the ordinary that's happened in Gotham in the last few days. Can you do that?"

Pulling herself together, Margot nodded silently and brushed herself off, attempting to retain some dignity.

"Good girl. Now, I think I'd best keep my meeting with Mr. Scott."

Back at his hotel, Allan tugged at the too-comfortable tuxedo that Cranston's secretary had had delivered. There was something about a man who could afford a good enough tailor to make a tux comfortable that just rubbed him the wrong way. He hadn't found anything at Cranston's thanks to the man's remarkably good timing, but he was still convinced that there _was_ something to find.

His phone rang and he snatched up the received, hoping that it was good news.

"Allan Scott. Hello, Steve. What's this? Oh, is that a fact. Right. No, I didn't do anything to make him mad. No. Look, Steve, I'll see what this is about. All right. I should be back in a couple of days. G'night."

Slamming down the receiver, Allan grabbed his coat and stormed out of the room.

"Ah, Mr. Scott, glad you could make it. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you."

The band at the Cobalt Club was playing lively swing as Allan took his place across from Lamont Cranston.

"Nelson, vodka martini for me and… scotch for my guest. On the rocks."

The waited nodded and walked off, leaving the two men to talk.

"Good guess."

"I do my best. So, Allan, may I call you Allan?"

"Of course."

"Thank you. Allan, how have you enjoyed the city?"

"A great deal. New York has plenty of excitement to offer."

"I know it. Ah, the drinks."

The waited placed the drinks in front of each man, then left. Allan sipped the scotch and whistled appreciatively.

"Mm. Good stuff."

"Only the best. Now, why don't we get down to business? We've drinks in front of us and plenty to talk about. What better way to build a bridge between two men?"

At the mention of a bridge, Allan paused in mid-sip. That was obviously a very thinly veiled attempt to let him know that Cranston had done his homework.

"Absolutely. I wouldn't miss this chat for all the tea in China."

Cranston's smile slipped a bit and his knowing eyes became a bit harder, almost angry.

"What exactly is it that you'd like to know, Allan?"

"Well, I thought I'd start with some questions about your future plans. The announcement of your endowment was quite a shocker. Any other bombs you plan to drop on the city?"

"Not at present. The endowment was something that needed done. I try to keep to my own affairs wherever I can. I've heard that a man lives longer that way."

Allan took another sip of the scotch and lowered his voice.

"Lets cut to the chase, shall we?"

"Lets."

"Who are you, Cranston? What's your game?"

"I don't know what you're playing at Scott, but I am not a man to be trifled with."

"I've noticed. It seems that anyone who knows anything about you has an odd tendency to disappear. Why is that, exactly?"

"Unless you'd care to find out, I suggest you enjoy your drink and go back to Gotham."

Cranston's voice was thick with menace as he slammed back the last of the vodka and stood, as if to make for the door. Allan rose with him and held him firmly by the sleeve of his jacket.

"I'm not leaving until I get some answers. And neither are you."

"Get your hands off of me…"

Lamont snatched his sleeve away and strode toward the door, grabbing his coat and hat on the way out and ducking quickly into the Sunshine Cab waiting outside.

"I'm going to be followed, Moe. Get us lost."

"Got it, boss."

The cab squealed away from the curb and left a trail as it raced down the street. Allan bolted out the door just in time to see it speed away.

"Damn it!"

"The Sanctum, Moe. There's an uninvited guest in town, and he's about to learn what it means to cross the 


	5. Mask to Mask

LIGHT AND SHADOW  
  
CHAPTER V. MASK TO MASK  
  
(Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Cranston, Lane, Scott, and their respective supporting casts are sadly, not my property. I'm creatively molesting them for my own sinister purposes.) *NOTE: Come on, people! Gimme reviews! I keep posting because I have the nifty enhanced statistics thingy that tells me you're reading, but can't get any better if you don't tell me what you think! That and it feeds my ego for you to review me! Have a heart, guys! High above New York City, an emerald glow lit the night. All over town, the city's denizens pointed skyward and shouted as they saw the frighteningly bright figure of the Green Lantern.  
  
Alan Scott raged internally that he had let Cranston slip through his fingers. He was sure that the man was hiding something, and it was too great a coincidence that he seemed so anxious to conceal it when, at the same time, a plot had been executed to steal the Atom Bomb. He would find Cranston's secret and, with it, the secret of the bomb's location.  
  
Lamont Cranston was gone, and in his place, a fearsome visage had appeared. Masked beneath a broad hat and crimson scarf, almost-evil eyes peered out at the world and saw the Emerald Avenger above New York. Somewhere inside, the Shadow felt something akin to fear. Mobsters and thugs were one thing, Shi-Wan Khan had been another, but the Green Lantern was in another realm entirely. Whatever mental powers the Shadow possessed dwindled in comparison to the might of Gotham's defender. But knowledge was power in and of itself, and knowledge he possessed in spades.  
  
From his lofty vantage, Green Lantern looked down on New York and it's lights. Suddenly, he noticed something that made him falter. The lights of the Empire State Building were. blinking.  
  
"G. L. nine. five. m. a.i.n."  
  
Green Lantern. 95th and Main. It was code. The same that railway engineers used to signal station masters from a distance. And it could only be from one person.  
  
It was an old warehouse, damp and dark. The Shadow always chose his locations well, and this was no exception. The Green Lantern floated slowly through the broken skylight, coming to rest in midair.  
  
"I got your message. What do you want?"  
  
The Shadow began to laugh, and the trace of madness in the voice chilled Alan's bones.  
  
"I could ask you the same thing. You're a long way from home. What do YOU want? Why are you here?"  
  
"I came for you."  
  
"For me?"  
  
"Yes. Someone has decided to follow in Shi-Wan Khan's footsteps."  
  
The laughter went out of the Shadow as he recalled, all too clearly, the time he'd faced the maniac whose powers of the mind equaled his own. Khan had very nearly annihilated the city, and if someone else had discovered the secret of the Atomic Bomb.  
  
Green Lantern was becoming angry. The Shadow's voice came from everywhere and nowhere, echoing off the walls of the old warehouse. He asked questions and gave no answers. Well, enough was enough.  
  
"Enough of this! Show yourself!"  
  
With a surge of willpower, Alan's ring flared, sending blinding green light in every direction, and casting a very clear shadow on the roof. The silhouette of a man crouched in the rafters. The Shadow leapt from the rafters and made a smooth landing on the ground below. The Lantern lowered himself slowly to the ground, and the two men were face to face.  
  
"Enough hiding, enough deception. Either you help me, or I have no use for you."  
  
"Very well. But, when this is over, there will be a reckoning." 


	6. Traces

LIGHT AND SHADOW  
  
CHAPTER VI. TRACES  
  
(Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Cranston, Lane, Scott, and their respective supporting casts are sadly, not my property. I'm creatively molesting them for my own sinister purposes.) *NOTE: Come on, people! Gimme reviews! I keep posting because I have the nifty enhanced statistics thingy that tells me you're reading, but can't get any better if you don't tell me what you think! That and it feeds my ego for you to review me! Have a heart, guys!  
  
There was a tension in the air as the cloaked Shadow and the grim Green Lantern looked out on New York City from the roof of the warehouse where they had forged their uneasy alliance. Neither man trusted the other, each believing that the other man had some dire purpose in mind. War makes strange bedfellows, however, and the two men were about to wage war.  
  
It had been one day since the two vigilantes had agreed to put aside their differences and unite in search of the stolen Atom Bomb. Now the moon shone full over the city that never sleeps, and the two men spoke in cold voices.  
  
"I have spoken with my network." The Shadow rasped. "No one knows much, but what little is known is that someone is trying to gather the city's criminal element."  
  
" 'Why' is the question."  
  
"Obviously."  
  
"I've attempted to have my ring locate the bomb, but without knowing what I'm looking for."  
  
"We don't know for sure that the bomb is in this city. It could very well still be in Gotham."  
  
Lantern shook his head and scowled even deeper.  
  
"I've spoken with my military 'friends' there. They assure me that they've ruled out Gotham. Apparently they have a way of locating whatever it is that powers the bomb, but they have chosen not to share that information with me. 'Security' reasons."  
  
"Perhaps it's the radiation."  
  
"Radiation?"  
  
"A certain scientific authority that is in my debt informs me that the metal which powered Shi-Wan Khan's device, Bronzium, emits a specific kind of radiation, which may be possible to detect."  
  
"This might be something to go on."  
  
"I'll find you when I know more."  
  
There was a rustling sound and when Lantern turned around, the Shadow was gone. As he floated toward the night sky, the Emerald Avenger mused on his partnership with New York's most secretive mystery man. He did not care for the Shadow, his methods, or his obvious flirtation with crime. His strange connection with Shi-Wan Khan made things all the more unpalatable to Gotham's defender. It was things like this that filled his mind as he lit on the roof of the Monolith to resume his civilian identity. The view from the Monolith was a spectacular one, that is, spectacular for anyone not used to a birds-eye view of the cityscape. The beacon-capped towers of Manhattan lost a bit of their majesty once one had used those beacons to avoid collisions.  
  
Lantern removed his normal clothes from the duffel he had concealed on the roof and slipped into trousers and a shirt. With his "working clothes" back in the bag, he used his ring to open the locked stairwell door and made his way back down into the hotel. As he walked down the flights of stairs, he came to the sudden realization that he had never fully explored the Monolith. He vaguely remembered an old new story some years before about the building, but couldn't bring it to mind. Cranston's comments at the Cobalt came to mind. something about the original owner.  
  
Alan retrieved a jacket from his room and went down to the hotel lobby, where he walked toward the desk clerk, a graying older man with a look of stern reliability.  
  
"What can I do for you, sir?"  
  
"I was just wondering a few things about the hotel, is all."  
  
"I know all there is to know about the Monolith, sir. What would you like to know?"  
  
"Well, firstly, I'd like to say that the management here is splendid, I've been very pleased during my stay here."  
  
"We strive to please, sir."  
  
"And you succeed. I was actually wondering how long that the current management had been in charge of the hotel?"  
  
"For as long as I can remember, sir."  
  
Alan restrained the look of surprise that attempted to cross his face. Cranston had said that he had acquired it from someone.  
  
"Really? And how long have you been here?"  
  
"I was one of the first staff brought onboard, I am proud to say."  
  
"Is that so? Well, congratulations, and thank you for your help."  
  
Walking away from the desk, Alan looked upward at the large vaulted ceilings of the lobby. Cranston had secrets, the Monolith had secrets, and they seemed to be wrapped up in one another. Layer upon layer surrounded the elusive Lamont Cranston. One thing was certain, though. There was something to be found in the Monolith.  
  
"Lamont."  
  
The hurried tone of Margot's voice in his mind caused Lamont Cranston to stop momentarily in the street, very nearly getting him hit by a passing car.  
  
"What is it, Margot?"  
  
"It's about Scott."  
  
"I'm on my way."  
  
Turning a street corner, he hailed the speeding Sunshine Cab, which squealed to a halt in front of him.  
  
"Home, Moe."  
  
In his manor, Lamont was quickly briefed by Margot. Scott was poking into things at the Monolith. This was no time for some over-intrepid reporter to be puttering around in a place containing so many of the Shadow's secrets. Even Lamont had not fully explored the labyrinths of Shi-Wan Khan's former headquarters. Who knew what traps lay in store there, and what unpleasant truths about the man who had once been Iyenko, the Butcher of Lassa.  
  
"Scott is becoming more than an annoyance. He is becoming a danger. We need to see to it that he decides it to be in his best interest to return to Gotham. Soon."  
  
"How, Lamont?"  
  
"I think it's time that Mr. Scott had a visit from the Shadow." 


	7. Tension

LIGHT AND SHADOW  
  
CHAPTER VII. TENSION  
  
(Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Cranston, Lane, Scott, and their respective supporting casts are sadly, not my property. I'm creatively molesting them for my own sinister purposes.)  
  
*NOTE: After a long hiatus, I'm picking up this story again. I had kind of lost the feel for where it was headed, which is why there have been no new chapters in so long, but realizing that it been my most popular story since Newcomer, I decided that I should put some more effort into it. Enjoy, and keep the reviews coming.  
  
Alan had found that he'd begun to develop a taste for the Cobalt Club, a taste more thoroughly reinforced by the quasi-mandatory lunches at the New York Press Club.  
  
"So, Scott, what've you been working on?" The man next to Alan at the bar queried as he slid a bit closer.  
  
"Nothing to spectacular, I'm afraid. Really just a puff piece on Lamont Cranston that my editor wants as a companion to the coverage on his recent contributions."  
  
"Lamont Cranston, hm?"  
  
Alan, until now only absent-mindedly answering his lunch partner's questions now focused on the dark man next to him. He realized that he'd met him a number of times before. His name was Franklin Stern and he was a cub reporter for the Times, and Alan had come across some of his work on the AP wire.  
  
"Why the interest?"  
  
"Not sure. Cranston's pretty well connected in this city is all, what with his uncle being the police commish and all. No one seems to know too much about him."  
  
"That's what I've noticed. So you're sure there's no reason you're interested in him?"  
  
"Can I level with you?" Stern's face grew. well. stern.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"I don't like him. He's a perfect example of how the rich in this town can get away with just about anything. He's too well connected to be as squeaky clean as he comes across on paper. What's more, all the Shadow appearances started not too long after he came back to New York."  
  
"You don't think that could just be coincidence?"  
  
"I don't believe in coincidences." He said darkly.  
  
"So you do think that there's some connection between Cranston and the Shadow."  
  
"So do you, unless I miss my guess."  
  
"I didn't say that. I do think something's going on though. Tell you what, as this isn't part of my assignment anyway, I'd prefer to keep this quiet. If I find anything, I'll let you know, all right?"  
  
"And what's the catch?"  
  
"What do you know about the Hotel Monolith?"  
  
The almost predatory smile that came across Stern's face was a startling sight.  
  
"That's where it all comes together. I did some digging after the Monolith 'mysteriously appeared' a few years back."  
  
Alan listened raptly as Stern filled him in on the history of the hotel, from its buyout by Shi Wan Khan to its mysterious disappearance and reappearance before it was bought by Cranston. Upon leaving the press club, Alan was almost immediately on the phone to his Gotham office, getting another extension on his time in New York.  
  
"I have you now, Cranston."  
  
The connection with Shi Wan Khan was all it had taken. Everything dropped into place. Cranston's attack on his mind, the missing years of his life after his time in the Orient and the Shadow's confrontations with Khan.  
  
Lamon Cranston was the Shadow.  
  
Alan looked up and realized that the sky was starting to get dark, and that he'd been talking with Stern for a good two and a half hours. Nightfall would be the telling time, he knew. He hailed a cab and glanced at the cabbie's name plate.  
  
"The Hotel Monolith, please, Moe. And hurry, if you can."  
  
"You got it."  
  
Alan didn't notice the flashing of Moe's unusual ring as the Sunshine Cab sped through downtown to the Monolith. Not too far away, Lamont pulled on his overcoat as Margot looked on.  
  
"Please be careful Lamont. There's something different about Scott."  
  
"I can handle Scott, don't worry about that."  
  
"Just promise me that you'll take care."  
  
I promise. He thought with intensity, directed at her. A quick squeeze of her hand and he was off, invisible to the eyes of men, cloaked in darkness as the Shadow. 


End file.
